Jessica Chastain Cast as Princess Diana In Controversial Biopic

Jessica Chastain Cast as Princess Diana In Controversial Biopic

2011 movie MVP Jessica Chastain will be playing Princess Diana in a new biopic. But Caught In Flight might not be the biopic you’re expecting…

-Lucia Peters

2011 was the year of Jessica Chastain. After taking the world by storm in such films as The Help, The Debt, and Tree of Life, she’s been steadily rising in the Hollywood ranks and making a name as one to watch. And now, she’s taking on her biggest role yet: Jessica has signed on to play Princess Diana in an upcoming biopic entitled Caught In Flight.

Now, here’s the interesting bit: Diana has long been revered for her compassion and her charity work. She WAS a remarkable woman, and her death was undeniably tragic. However, Caught In Flight will focus not on Diana’s saintly qualities, but rather on a secret affair she carried out with heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Kahn. Furthermore, according to Indiewire, the script, which was written by The Libertine scribe Steven Jeffreys, does not cast Diana in “a particularly favorable light”: Apparently, “she is shown as a damaged person who stalks the doctor after he ends the affair.”

The film will be helmed by German director Oliver Hirschbiegel, who, it should be noted, is no stranger to portraying iconic figures in unusual ways: His 2004 film Downfall depicted the final ten days of Adolf Hitler’s life and attempted to humanize the dictator. Reports are describing Caught In Flight as “a love story between a princess locked in a tower and an ordinary man”—which, again, is interesting, given the less-than-positive angle the film is said to be taking.

Well, one thing’s for sure: Whether you agree or disagree with its portrayal of Diana, Caught In Flight will certainly be a film worth talking about. It’s set to go into preproduction in March 2012.